Apple has filed a trademark for “iWatch” with Japan’s patent office, seeking to protect the name it has coined and adding credence to rumors that the company is developing a smartwatch, according to a June 3 filing made public last week (spotted by Bloomberg News).

UPDATE: According to a 9to5 Mac report, Apple has filed a trademark for “iWatch” with Mexico’s “Institute of Industrial Property”, following filings in Japan and Russia. The Mexico filing was made public in recent days, but the request was originally submitted on June 3 – the same day on which Apple had filed for a trademark in Japan. 9to5 Mac has since updated its story to reflect trademark filings in Turkey and Columbia as well. Another report from Macrumors said Apple has also added on to its trademarking spree by filing for one in Taiwan.

It was previously reported that Apple has a team of “about 100 product designers” working on a new device, similar to a wristwatch, that can perform many of the tasks currently dominated by the iPhone and iPad – which could include the ability to make phone calls, identify incoming callers and check map routes. It was also said to include a pedometer for counting steps and a number of sensors for tracking other health-related data.